Chapter 136: Where Did That Arrogance Go?

"I am siding with Lu Family Stockade! So what?"

Yuan Chen spoke with passion and conviction, "Think carefully, what kind of life were you living before Lu arrived?

Just by virtue of your current state, do you still have the face to stand here and righteously demand to divide the supplies? No, you don't even have the strength to stand here!

It was Lu who rescued all of us from the clutches of the Li Family Three Brothers.

Not only that, he took all the grain from the Warehouse and distributed it to you; everyone received dozens of catties of rice. Have you all forgotten this?"

In an instant, the vast majority of the crowd lowered their heads in shame.

It was true; at the time, they couldn't believe they could receive so much grain, and after returning home, it felt like a dream.

"Lu is the savior of us all. But you? After getting the grain, you were not only unsatisfied but also insatiably greedy, even wanting to take advantage of his absence to rob the supplies in the Warehouse."

"If you were in Lu's position and came back to see this scene, what would you think? Wouldn't your conscience feel even a shred of guilt?"

Every word from Yuan Chen was like a heavy hammer, fiercely striking the hearts of the crowd.

Behind him, Zhang Cheng also gathered his courage and shouted in agreement: "Brother Yuan is right. Human desire is endless; wanting everything will only end up harming oneself."

"Well said!" Someone in the crowd watching from afar raised their arm and shouted excitedly, "A person must have a conscience; you cannot be heartless and ungrateful!"

"That's right, Lu saved us and shared the grain with us, what else is there to be unsatisfied about? Do you only become happy if Li Meng returns?"

"You bunch of people are just bullying the weak and fearing the strong. When Li Meng was here, why didn't I hear you say these things?"

Facing the accusations from all around, those hundred-plus people were all red-faced, so embarrassed they wished they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"Alright, everyone, be quiet for a moment." Seeing this, Yuan Chen pressed his hands down, and the surrounding discussion gradually quieted.

"Lu is not here, and everyone is a person of Li Family Fort. If you retreat now, I can pretend nothing ever happened."

As soon as the words fell, some people couldn't wait to retreat.

At first, it was a few, then a dozen, then twenty; in the blink of an eye, only the dozen or so ringleaders remained.

Even these dozen people couldn't help but show fear in their eyes, and they began to lose their nerve.

"Now, you take these people and leave, and I will treat this as if it never happened," Yuan Chen said, looking at Yang Jiawang.

"Brother Yang, why don't we just let it go."

"Yeah, most of the people have already left," a few people around whispered.

"Do you really think what he says can be trusted?"

Yang Jiawang sneered, "You don't think about it—once that guy surnamed Lu returns, will this fellow honestly keep our secret?

When the one surnamed Lu finds out, will he be able to act like nothing happened and let us off easily?"

Hearing this, the dozen people were shocked. The old, weak, women, and children who had already retreated also showed expressions of terror in their eyes.

"Brother Yang, then what do you mean?"

"Go big or go home!"

Yang Jiawang steeled his heart and said viciously, "There are so many of us, how many are they? What is there to be afraid of!

Kill them all, and we can take as much as we want from the Warehouse; whatever we can't take, we'll smash.

No matter how fast the one surnamed Lu is, he won't arrive until tomorrow. We'll leave before dawn tomorrow, or leave right after we rob it; where is he going to chase us?"

"Let me remind you again, Li Meng had so many good things it's impossible to count them all. Just taking a few pieces is enough for us to live on for over half a year. If we miss this opportunity, there won't be another."

Under Yang Jiawang's threats and inducements, a flash of Ruthless intent flickered in the eyes of the others.

That's right, they were the instigators of this farce. Putting themselves in his shoes, if they were Lu Yu, they wouldn't easily forgive them either.

It would be better to go big or go home, fight to the death; life and death are fated, and wealth is in the hands of heaven!

"It's not too late for you to regret this now," Yuan Chen said with a cold expression.

"Regret? When I decided to do this, I never intended to regret it!" Yang Jiawang grinned hideously, and the dozen people beside him also gripped their weapons tightly.

"Gulp." The few people behind Yuan Chen swallowed in unison.

They knew clearly that two fists are no match for four hands, let alone when the opponent's numbers were nearly four times theirs.

Among the surrounding crowd, there were those who wanted to help, but firstly, they had no weapons in hand, and running to the Warehouse to get them would likely be too late.

Secondly, that group of people had fierce eyes; if they rushed up rashly, they might not only fail to help but also lose their own lives.

"You surnamed Yuan, if you're smart, get out of the way!" Yang Jiawang licked his lips and threatened, "Otherwise, we'll have no choice but to step over your corpse."

"Want me to clear the way? Keep dreaming!" Yuan Chen gritted his teeth and said firmly.

A scholar dies for one who appreciates him; Lu Yu entrusted him with the heavy responsibility of guarding the Warehouse. If he let this group rush in to smash and loot, what face would he have to see Lu Yu when he returned?

Furthermore, being able to eat a full meal before dying, so as not to be a starving ghost, could be considered worth it!

"Fine, since you are seeking death, I will grant your wish. Brothers..."

Before Yang Jiawang could finish speaking, a somewhat familiar voice came from inside the house.

"Sorry, today, none of you are going to kill anyone."

"!!!"

Hearing this voice, the expressions on the faces of Yuan Chen and the others turned to disbelief.

Yang Jiawang and the others were facing the living room, watching with their own eyes as a figure slowly walked down the stairs.

At that moment, they felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar; their throats felt choked by something, unable to make a sound. The whole person was like someone drowning, submerged by deep fear.

As for the onlookers, seeing this scene, their expressions were all different.

Some were so shocked their mouths hung open, some were flushed with excitement, some were confused, and others were pale with fright.

Everyone on the scene never expected that Lu Yu would actually walk out from upstairs.

"Lu!" Yuan Chen came to his senses and was overjoyed.

"Lu!"

"Lu, you finally arrived."

Zhang Cheng and the others also felt a sense of relief. Those few short seconds just now felt like they had walked through the gates of hell, and their entire bodies were soaked with sweat.

"You have done very well; there will be rewards later." Lu Yu looked at them approvingly, his gaze lingering on Yuan Chen for a moment.

Upon hearing this, the group became even more agitated.

Immediately following, a series of "thud" sounds rang out.

It was seen that Yang Jiawang and his group threw down the weapons in their hands, one after another, and with a "thump," they knelt on the ground, kowtowing desperately to beg for mercy.

"Lu, spare our lives! We were wrong, we truly know we were wrong. We beg you to show mercy and let us go."

"That's right, we were possessed by ghosts and bewitched by that guy Yang Jiawang. Please, Lu, just pretend we don't exist. We are willing to be your beasts of burden."

"It was all Yang Jiawang's fault; he was the one who instigated us to do it."

"Yes, we had originally intended to back down, but he even threatened us."

More than ten people all pushed the responsibility onto Yang Jiawang in one go.

Yang Jiawang was instantly so furious he jumped up and down, cursing loudly: "You bunch of bastards, what nonsense are you spouting? It was clearly you yourselves who had ghosts in your hearts, and now you want to push the responsibility onto me."

As he spoke, he looked at Lu Yu again, begging bitterly: "Lu, please don't listen to their nonsense. They were the ones who came to find me first; I really had no choice but to agree to join them."

"Lu, please let me go. As long as you are willing to spare me, I am willing to go through fire and water for you. I will do whatever you ask."

"You only know how to beg for mercy now; why didn't you think of that when you were being arrogant just a moment ago?"

Lu Yu's gaze was icy, like a sharp blade, sweeping across the row of people in front of him. He said coldly: "Yuan Chen didn't fail to give you a chance, but not only did you not cherish it, you even attempted to kill. Then don't blame me for being impolite; I will send you on your way."

"!"

For a moment, it was as if time had frozen.

Subsequently, Yang Jiawang suddenly jumped up from the ground and ran desperately toward the distance.

The others also reacted one after another, rising to flee in all directions.

This man surnamed Lu was simply too ruthless! They had already knelt and begged for mercy, yet he still refused to let them go! Since begging for mercy meant death anyway, they might as well make a desperate attempt; perhaps running away offered a glimmer of survival.

However, Yang Jiawang, who had risen first, had not even managed to take a step when he felt a chill at his neck, and a spray of blood shot out like an arrow!

"Gurgle, gurgle..." He clutched his throat desperately with both hands, seemingly wanting to stop the blood from gushing out, or perhaps wanting to stuff air back into his throat.

But everything was to no avail.

In just an instant, his hands and arms were dyed bright red, and finally, in despair and regret, he slowly collapsed.

The fate of the others was exactly the same.

In the eyes of Yuan Chen and the others, Lu Yu's figure was as fast as teleportation.

By the time they saw clearly, the dozen or so people on the ground were all clutching their blood-spurting throats, their bodies slowly collapsing.

Lu Yu flicked his right hand lightly, shaking off the blood on the Dagger, and his gaze swept coldly across everyone present. He said in a deep voice: "I am a reasonable person. If anyone does not want to stay, you may leave now; I will certainly not stop you."

"But if you want to stay, then you must follow my rules. Otherwise, these people will be your fate!"

As soon as Lu Yu finished speaking, the hundred or so people in front were like they had been cast with a spell, all kneeling on the ground with a synchronized "thump."

"Lu, please spare our lives! We really know we were wrong; we will never dare to do it again!"

"Lu, we were truly blinded by greed and had our hearts covered in lard. Please, as a great person, don't hold a grudge against small people like us; spare us this one time!"

While they begged bitterly, they kept kowtowing. The scene was as if they were not kowtowing with their own heads; some had even kowtowed until their foreheads bled, yet they still repeated the kowtowing motion mechanically like machines that had lost consciousness.

The onlookers around, watching this scene, could not help but feel a complex mix of emotions; they felt these people were pitiful, yet they also felt hateful toward their actions.

Thinking carefully, if they had not filled their own hearts with greed, how could they have been incited by a few bewitching words from Yang Jiawang and muddle-headedly become accomplices?

The sounds of begging on the field rose and fell. They knew in their hearts that once the sound stopped, the next second might be their own death, so they all begged for their lives with all their might.

"Quiet!" Lu Yu's voice was like a great bell, echoing in the air.

At this command, the hundred or so people were as if they had been grabbed by the throat; they were so frightened they quickly shut their mouths, not even daring to breathe loudly, only looking at Lu Yu with pitiful, pleading eyes.